An exclusive eye witness report from survivor Rick Hudnall, a volunteer
visitor to Chiangmai's Wing 41 Air Museum
The office I was in is across from the south parking lot, about half
a mile from the building entrance, and the 9th floor window looks out over
the Pentagon . We were watching the New York attack in disbelief on CNN
when the explosion outside sent a large amount of smoke, dirt, and debris
into the air. We saw an incredible plume go up and cover the Pentagon and
assumed the building had taken a massive hit.
The plume was very large and seemed to go up in slow motion, a funnel
shape with objects imbedded everywhere in it, which began to rain down.
I immediately ran downstairs and rode across the south parking lot on my
bike toward the smoke.
The smoke became thick and black - typical of jet fuel - and was coming
from the west side toward the helipad. As I got closer I saw many aircraft
parts on the parking lot, most of them small twisted pieces of aluminum
with that typical yellow paint used on the inside surface. It looked like
a tornado had gone through the place.
JUST LIKE THE REAL THING?
Click for larger photograph
Almost! This metal bas relief of a Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero-Sen actually
represents an aircraft of the 64th Sentai, wich was stationed here at Chiangmai.
Framed in dark Thai timber, each piece is numbered and only 1000 pieces
will ever be produced. Made by Thai craftsmen with care.
As I turned the corner at the helipad I was somewhat relieved to see
the fire centered outside the building. Very black smoke was rising in
a column maybe 30m in diameter at the base. The fire truck and ambulance
from the Arlington fire station close by were the first ones to get there.
You could not get closer than 50m to the fire - it was that hot. The fire
crews went to work immediately. They were very fast. I can't say enough
about them. They were on their feet working very close to that fire. Hand-sized
airplane parts were strewn all over the place. There is an overpass adjacent
to the helipad that goes over Columbia Pike and it's about the same height
as the Pentagon, so I walked up on it to overlook the scene. I noticed
the light poles at that point. They had been bent over or clipped off about
a metre from the ground so I knew then the plane had come from the west.
There was a lady, very shaken up, standing on the overpass. Her small
gray Chevy car was stopped in the middle of the roadway. She had had to
slam on her brakes as the plane went right in front of her car and slammed
in! The next morning the damage at the helipad looked surreal. A 17m wide
section of the building had fallen in and they were still fighting fires.
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Half the building was open for business and the other half was closed
to all but the fire fighters who were making sure the fire was totally
out. Everyone was worried about personnel who may have lost their lives
here, around 130 I think, but we are in shock by the attack on New York.
Compared to NYC, our loss is very small."
Not only Americans
At time of going to press the death toll had numbered over 5,300 Americans
killed, while missing and possibly dead were 270 Germans, 200 British,
295 Colombians, 270 Germans, 117 Russians, 115 Filipinos, 57 Italians,
50 Canadians, 19 South Koreans, one Thai and others from as many as 38
other nations.
Rick
Hudnall
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